71 A Child Saved, A Tense Repast
71 A Child Saved, A Tense Repast
Beck’s face drained of color as he took in the sight of his soaking wet niece in Elara’s arms. He rushed forward, his eyes wide with panic.
“Shanice! What happened?” He reached out, taking the trembling child from Elara’s
arms.
“She fell into the hot spring,” Elara explained, adjusting her robe tighter around herself. “I was there and pulled her out immediately.”
Beck clutched Shanice to his chest, his expression shifting from fear to relief to intense gratitude. “Thank you. God, thank you so much.”
Shanice buried her face against her uncle’s neck, her small body still shaking. “I’m sorry, Uncle Beck. I wanted to see the magic water.”
“I was on a call for just a minute,” Beck said, his voice unsteady. He looked at Elara with genuine remorse. “I thought she was watching TV in the room.”
Elara nodded, feeling a sudden awkwardness as she stood there in just her bathrobe. “Children can disappear in seconds. She’s fine, just scared.”
“I don’t know how to thank you.” Beck’s voice was thick with emotion. “If you hadn’t been there..”
“No need to think about that,” Elara cut him off gently. “You should get her into dry clothes before she catches cold.”
Beck nodded, seeming to notice Elara’s state of undress for the first time. He quickly averted his eyes. “Of course. I’ll take her back to our room now.”
Elara turned to leave, eager to retreat to her own room and change.
“Mrs. Thorne,” Beck called after her.
She stiffened at the name but/turned back.
“Thank you again,” he said softly. “I’m truly in your debt.”
She gave a small nod and hurried away, wanting nothing more than to distance herself from any connection to the Thorne world.
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71 A Child Saved, A Tonse Repast
The next morning, Elara sat alone at a corner table in the resort’s buffet restaurant. She had deliberately chosen to eat carly, hoping to avoid most of her colleagues. After the incident last night, she needed some quiet time to gather her thoughts.
She was halfway through her coffee when she spotted Beck entering the dining area with Shanice in tow. The little girl was chattering animatedly, looking none the worse for her adventure the previous night.
Elara quickly lowered her gaze to her plate, hoping they wouldn’t notice her. The last thing she wanted was another interaction with someone from Damien’s circle.
Her hope was in vain.
“Mrs. Thor–I mean, Elara?” Beck’s voice came from beside her table.
She looked up, forcing a polite smile. “Good morning.”
Shanice peeked out from behind her uncle’s leg, suddenly shy.
“Would you mind if we joined you?” Beck asked, his expression tentative. “Shanice has something she’d like to say.”
Elara hesitated. Every fiber of her being wanted to refuse, to protect the new life she was building from any remnants of her past. But the hopeful look on the little girl’s face made it impossible to say no.
“Of course,” she replied, gesturing to the empty chairs.
“Thank you.
I’ll just get our food first,” Beck said. He turned to Shanice. “Stay with Elara for a minute, okay? I’ll be right back.”
Before Elara could protest, Beck was walking toward the buffet, leaving his niece standing awkwardly beside the table.
“Would you like to sit down?” Elara asked, pulling out a chair for the child.
Shanice climbed onto the chair, her legs swinging above the floor. She studied Elara with curious eyes.
“Uncle Beck says you saved me from drowning,” she said matter–of–factly.
“You slipped and fell in,” Elara explained gently. “I was just there to help.”
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71 A Child Saved, A Tense Repast
Shanice nodded solemnly. “He said I could have died.”
Elara winced at the blunt statement. “Well, hot springs can be dangerous. That’s why Elara winced at the blunt there are signs saying children need supervision.”
“I can read,” Shanice informed her proudly. “I just didn’t listen.”
Despite herself, Elara smiled. The girl reminded her of Cora at that age–curious and fearless to a fault.
Beck returned carrying two plates piled with breakfast foods. He set one in front of Shanice and took the seat across from Elara.
“Shanice,” he prompted. “Remember what we talked about?”
for
The little girl straightened in her seat and looked directly at Elara. “Thank you saving me from the magic water, Mrs. Elara. I promise I won’t go exploring by myself again.”
“You’re very welcome,” Elara replied, touched by the formal little speech. “And it’s just Elara.”
“Now eat your breakfast,” Beck told his niece, who immediately attacked her pancakes with enthusiasm.
An uncomfortable silence settled between the adults. Elara sipped her coffee, desperately wishing for an excuse to leave.
“Are you here alone?” Beck finally asked.
Elara shook her head. “I’m with colleagues. It’s a team–building weekend.”
Beck’s brow furrowed slightly. “From Thorne Industries?”
“No,” she replied, her tone cooling. “I don’t work there anymore.”
“Oh.” Beck looked genuinely surprised. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry if I—‘
“It’s fine,” Elara cut him off. “It’s been some time now.”
The tension at the table was palpable. Shanice, oblivious to the adult discomfort,
happily devoured her breakfast while humming to herself.
Beck cleared his throat. “Listen, I know we’ve had our… disagreements in the past, but I
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71 A Child Saved, A Tense Repast
want to thank you properly for what you did last night. Shanice is everything to me?
Elara softened slightly at the obvious love in his voice. “She seems like a wonderful
child.”
“She is,” Beck agreed, his face lighting up. “Too clever for her own good sometimes, but wonderful.”
For a brief moment, the awkwardness between them eased as they both watched Shanice carefully arranging her strawberries into a smiley face on her plate.
Then Beck asked, “How’s Cora doing? She must be getting big now.”
The question sent a sharp pain through Elara’s chest. She opened her mouth to respond when she spotted Julian across the room, looking around as if searching for
someone.
“Excuse me,” she said, seizing the opportunity. “I need to speak with my colleague.”
She stood quickly, not waiting for Beck’s response, and made her way across the dining room to where Julian stood.
“Good morning,” she greeted him with relief. “I was just about to come find you.”
Julian smiled at her but his eyes moved past her shoulder. “Who’s that you were sitting
with?”
Elara turned slightly, seeing Beck watching them with a puzzled expression. The question hung in the air between them, forcing Elara to confront a piece of her past she’d hoped to leave behind.
